WHAT DO YOU WANT HIM TO DO FOR YOU?
Mark 10:32-45
INTRO:
Imagine if you could have Jesus Christ himself come to you and say, “What do you want me to do for you?”
What would you say? What would you ask, want him to do?
PREV:
Today, we will see two men, James and John, have that happen to them. Jesus will ask them, “What do you want me to do for you?” We will see what they want, and how it compares to what we want. And then we will see Jesus give them a very strange way to get what they want. Jesus will say, “In order to get what you want, you have to go about it in a totally different way than you think.” In fact, we will see Jesus call us to a very different, unusual way to get what we want today. It all happens in Mark, chapter 10. Turn there with me, please.
This passage begins with a very serious scene. Notice what Jesus tells his disciples as I read vv. 32-34.
A. Jesus predicts his suffering and death
The first thing we notice about Jesus is how deliberate he is
He purposefully sets his course for Jerusalem. The reaction to him shows his clarity of purpose.
And Jesus is very direct here, too.
When we hear people talking about their death, we call someone!
He directly tells him of the suffering and death he will face in Jerusalem.
He’s telling them about the cross.
“Again” he told them – for the 3rd time! Cf. 8:31; 9:31
This is very specific, and emphasizes his suffering, derision
B. James and John ask for greatness
Its in the middle of this serious, somber scene that we find James and John.
Notice what they do as I read vv. 35-36.
Picture the scene:
An intense Jesus describes his upcoming suffering and death. This is why we are going to Jerusalem. We’ll be there soon. And so James and John, brothers, approach him. They come reverently, perhaps on their knees. In the context of his upcoming death, they have something to ask. “Teacher, will you grant us this last request?”
Family members lining up for stuff before the person dies...
“What do you want me to do for you?”
Wow! What a question! And they look at each other, and begin to spill it out. “Well, what we want is, um, can we sit at your right hand, be greater than anyone else, in the position of honor, in your glory?” Can we, huh?
That’s what v. 37 says.
Boy, talk about getting off on the wrong off ramp!
Where are these guys going?
Jesus has been talking about suffering, the cross.
James and John hear only glory.
Jesus has been talking about himself.
James and John can think only of themselves.
Given the chance to ask Jesus for something, they ask for glory, for prominence, for rank, for honor, for greatness.
Let’s see Jesus’ response as I read vv. 38-40.
You have no idea what you are asking for!
They were clueless, as usual.
Remember, these are the same guys who watched Jesus multiply a few small loaves of bread into enough food to feed 4000 men, then immediately got in the boat and argued about who forgot to bring bread.
Can you drink my cup, be baptized with me?
Cup in OT is God’s wrath against man’s sin. Jer. 25:15
Can you do what I am about to do? Take on the sin of mankind?
Of course, the answer is “no.” This is Jesus’ unique job.
But they are so fixed on greatness, they say, “well, sure!”
They sense he’s going to say ‘yes,’ so they are getting giddy with anticipation…
Jesus says, well, you will share my destiny – you will share my sufferings. Not to the same degree, however.
But what you asked is something only the Father can give.
The other disciples are indignant (the kind of indignance that comes with being outfoxed) that James and John asked such a thing (or beat them to it.). They are identified with James and John.
C. Often we too are after greatness
James and John aren’t the only ones who desire greatness. They aren’t the only ones hear “glory” or “greatness” instead of the cross, or suffering.
How many of us have as our deepest desires
Power, rank, greatness at work
The biggest church!
Fame and fortune.
How many of us would ask of Jesus “glory”:
A better body, job, financial situation
Instead of sharing in his suffering…
I. WE, LIKE THE DISCIPLES, LOOK FOR GREATNESS
We want to share in his glory, but have no intention of sharing in his suffering.
Transition: Having revealed their, and our, hearts, Jesus goes on to show them that to get what they really want, they have to take a totally different approach. Read vv. 41-44.
A. Jesus gives an exhortation to serving
Jesus exhorts them to think, live differently.
God’s people, his family will be different.
The path, model for greatness is not the ruler, it is the servant. Greatness in God’s kingdom is achieved by serving others, just the opposite of the world.
The servant attends to the needs of others. The slave has no rights except those given by the master.
He has said this before, but they haven’t caught on yet.
There is another path to greatness! God’s path!
Now Jesus gives the ultimate example of this service. Let’s Read v. 45.
B. Jesus gives the example of serving
The example, the standard, is Jesus himself!
This is a key verse in Mark, a key verse in understanding Jesus and his purpose.
This is precisely the track the Son of Man himself took, and it sheds light on the kind of service he requires.
He did not come to be served, as he could have.
Instead, he came to be a servant.
Cf. Phil. 2:6-8.
Being in very nature God, made himself nothing. Emptied himself. Wow! This is quite a concept!
Instead of coming to rule, he came to serve.
This was a completely voluntary, willing act by him.
It also was an act of self-sacrifice:
He became obedient to death, death on a cross.
Jesus served to the point of death.
Let me ask you a question. Who did Jesus serve?
Our first response is often “us.” He served us. That’s what the next phrase in v. 45 talks about: He gave his life as a ransom for us – he substituted himself for us to take on God’s wrath, his penalty for sin.
But who was Jesus obedient to in giving up his life?
God, that’s who. Jesus went to the cross because it was God’s will that he do so. He was dead set on doing God’s will – he would never violate it, as we saw in v. 40. And this explains his determination in v. 32.
So Jesus served us in obedience to God’s will.
II. JESUS SHOWS THAT GREATNESS COMES FROM SERVING OTHERS IN OBEDIENCE TO GOD
Jesus shows that greatness comes serving others out of devotion, as a result of obedience to, God.
Illus: Let me illustrate this for you. There is a very wealthy man, who has in his employ a servant. The man is generous as well as wealthy, and treats his servant quite well. They have a deep relationship built over many years. One summer, the man has several nieces and nephews come to stay at his estate. As we will be gone for some time, he instructs the servant to take care of his relatives. And so the servant does. Even when the relatives behave poorly. They show no respect for the man’s home and property, they treat our servant with contempt, making all manner of unreasonable requests. And instead of quitting, or running them off, the servant quietly fulfills his master’s request. Why? Because of his devotion to his master. He is so devoted to his master, that he will do whatever he asks, no matter how difficult or even painful.
I tell you this story for a reason, because
III. JESUS CALLS US TO SERVE OTHERS IN OBEDIENCE TO HIM
Jesus does not call us to blind service. This is easy for us to fall into: serving for the sake of serving. Sometimes I serve just so other people with see me serving. Some people take on every task asked of them to be servants. But let me clarify: Jesus is not calling you merely to that kind of service. He is calling you and I to serve others in whatever way he asks. To do whatever he wants.
What does he want us to do?
A. Generally, love your neighbors
Jesus did command us to love one another, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. One way we do this is by serving. The questions we must ask ourselves are:
Is what I’m doing really in obedience to Jesus?
Am I doing everything that Jesus wants me to?
Illus: I drove around the lady with car trouble…
B. Specifically, we do whatever Jesus wants us to
What if, as a church, Jesus called us to do something very different? What if he called us to serve to particular, special group of people? Would you do it?
I have a friend who left a lucrative career, sacrificed a standard of living that meant his wife had to go to work full time, spent his nest egg on going back to school, all to be involved in a teaching ministry that pays a fraction of his previous job. Why? Because Jesus asked him to.
Later this morning, you will hear from one of our ministry leaders, who came to me last year and said “God wants me to do this.” The ministry was way outside her comfort zone, but she did it, in devotion to Jesus.
Folks, let’s serve. But don’t serve me. Don’t serve out of guilt, or obligation. Serve out of devotion to God. If you serve in our children’s ministry, don’t do it just because you love kids. Do it because you love Jesus.
CONCL: We started with the question, “What do you want me to do for you.” We end with, “what can I do for you?” Ask not what Jesus can do for you, but what you can do for Jesus.
